John@BBT
09-06-2011, 09:29 PM
<P>Fishing this week was solid…we are enjoying an early run of kings and they have been beating us up daily. The extended forecast is calling for colder air temperatures which should keep some fish coming up stream…but the cooler water temps will encourage the early fish to start spawning soon too. It has been a strange run so far…big fish and early numbers. Let’s hope they keep pouring in!
<P><B><DIV ALIGN="CENTER">Fall is in the air!</DIV></B><DIV ALIGN="CENTER"><IMG SRC="http://bbt.steelcity.net/09-06-2011-02.jpg"></DIV><P>
<P>We are in full swing up here right now. The hardware bite in the lower river has been decent (great one day and tough the next few or vice versa), but fly fishing the middle and upper river has been consistently producing action. Finding the right group of kings and waiting for a bite helps. I have been sticking and moving to cover several good holes and looking for biters along the way. Throwing streamers at day break has produced some exciting results too…something to think about!
<P>The kings are moving daily…”here today and gone tomorrow” has had us working hard chasing the run this year. It has been extremely exciting trying to keep your finger on the pulse this season…I keep thinking it is the third week of September, but it is not.
<P>Salmon season is upon us and we will be experiencing some great fishing throughout September. We are ready for a great fall (Kings, Cohoes, browns and fall steelhead!). The next three months will be exciting and will create some awesome memories. Stay tuned for the latest info and updated reports.
<P>Many different techniques work at this time of year…nymphing with stones, caddis, hexes and ESL’s; large bright streamers & baitfish patterns; hardware fishing with spinners and stick baits. Plus, the trout fishing has been good with nymphs, small streamers and soon eggs! They will start to key in on eggs and nymphs once the kings start to spawn.
<P><B>Here are some comments on some recent trips:</B>
<P>08/30-31: Dick joined me for some awesome action. We witnessed every way a king could avoid a net over the two days. There was no lack of action, but we kept scratching our heads saying that was wild…but exciting none the less. It is always a pleasure fishing with you Dick and take care of yourself…I hope I am fishing for kings when I am 81 years old!
<P>09/01: Tom, Jim and a banana were in the boat…enough said. Somehow we managed to land a fish, but we struggled through a curse of the banana! Ha, ha!!!
<P><B><DIV ALIGN="CENTER">Tom with his first Thunder-stick king!</DIV></B><DIV ALIGN="CENTER"><IMG SRC="http://bbt.steelcity.net/09-01-2011-01.jpg"></DIV><P>
<P>09/02: Chris and Carrie were introduced to the Pere Marquette River Salmon for the first time…it was a good old fashion salmon rodeo all day. They were once described by Chris as “Fresh water tarpon”…and enjoyable day with some great people. Thank you and hope to see you soon!
<P><B><DIV ALIGN="CENTER">Carrie with a solid king! (that one got rid of the goosers!)</DIV></B><DIV ALIGN="CENTER"><IMG SRC="http://bbt.steelcity.net/09-02-2011-01.jpg"></DIV><P>
<P><B><DIV ALIGN="CENTER">Chris & I with his first ever king salmon!</DIV></B><DIV ALIGN="CENTER"><IMG SRC="http://bbt.steelcity.net/09-02-2011-02.jpg"></DIV><P>
<P>I had the pleasure of guiding father and son group of John and Evan Phillips…great time with some great people! This is what makes me enjoy my job so much. I feel honored for being allowed to fish the “Field & Stream Sportsman”…that rod is a stick on a mission! Thank you for the great day & I hope your arm feels better Evan.
<P><B><DIV ALIGN="CENTER">John and Evan with a nice PM King</DIV></B><DIV ALIGN="CENTER"><IMG SRC="http://bbt.steelcity.net/09-03-2011-01.jpg"></DIV><P>
<P><B><DIV ALIGN="CENTER">Evan and I with a large king he brought to hand</DIV></B><DIV ALIGN="CENTER"><IMG SRC="http://bbt.steelcity.net/09-03-2011-02.jpg"></DIV><P>
<P>09/04: Another great day with father and son group of Steve and Kevin. Kevin set the pace and Steve finished strong…and very balanced day of action and laughs. Thanks for fishing hard and making my job so enjoyable. (On a side note….Steve, we got it done!). Later and thanks.
<P><B><DIV ALIGN="CENTER">Kevin with his first ever king on a fly!</DIV></B><DIV ALIGN="CENTER"><IMG SRC="http://bbt.steelcity.net/09-04-2011-01.jpg"></DIV><P>
<P><B><DIV ALIGN="CENTER">Steve with the “Mission Impossible”</DIV></B><DIV ALIGN="CENTER"><IMG SRC="http://bbt.steelcity.net/09-04-2011-02.jpg"></DIV><P>
<P>09/06: Johnny and Randy joined me for a beautiful day on the PM. Crisp morning and a perfect afternoon would describe the weather, yet Kings splashing & chaos would describe the fishing! Perfect day you guys and thank for letting me fish. I know I had a ball!
<P><B><DIV ALIGN="CENTER">Randy with the first and nicest fish to hand today!</DIV></B><DIV ALIGN="CENTER"><IMG SRC="http://bbt.steelcity.net/09-06-2011-01.jpg"></DIV><P>
<P><B><DIV ALIGN="CENTER">Randy with a 20 pounder on the boga!</DIV></B><DIV ALIGN="CENTER"><IMG SRC="http://bbt.steelcity.net/09-06-2011-03.jpg"></DIV><P>
<P><B><DIV ALIGN="CENTER">Johnny finished strong with this hen!</DIV></B><DIV ALIGN="CENTER"><IMG SRC="http://bbt.steelcity.net/09-06-2011-04.jpg"></DIV><P>
<P>On a personal note, I would like to express my deepest gratitude and thanks for all the kind cards, letters and notes everyone has sent me since my mother’s passing. Your support and sympathies have helped me through this tough time. This busy season will help too and looking forward to better times. Thank you everyone…every little bit has helped!
<P>Please respect your fellow anglers and their space on the river. There is plenty of room for everyone and we can all get a good fishing hole. Enjoy your time on the water and do not worry about catching…enjoy fishing our beautiful “Wild & Scenic River”! We will keep you posted as things develop, but if you would like to lock in a date please do not wait…they will not last long (especially now that the fish are here!).
<P><B>Announcements/News/Destination Travel Info-</B>
<P>The fall river cleanup is scheduled for November 5th this year and we hope to see many of you there as well as at Steve’s place afterwards for the appreciation party. More details to follow, but please call the shop to let them know you are coming, a semi accurate head count is helpful in planning.
<P>We have also set our annual Steelhead School for: November 11, 12 & 13, 2011, Click here for more details:
<B><A HREF="http://www.fishbaldwin.com/FlySchools/Events_steelhead.cfm">BBT Steelhead School</A></B>
<P><B>Argentina 2012</B>
<P> The dates are January 14 – 21, 2012…we are taking deposits now to hold your spot! Treat yourself to a trip of a lifetime! The package price per person based on double occupancy is US $3,250.00 and includes:
<BR>• Six full days guided fishing (with expert, local bilingual (Spanish-English) fly-fishing guide)
<BR>• All your lodging, meals and beverages (including beer & wine with meals).
<BR>• Transportation to and from the Airport in Bariloche
<P><iframe src="http://player.vimeo.com/video/19460635" width="640" height="360" frameborder="0"></iframe><p><a href="http://vimeo.com/19460635">BBT in Argentina 2011</a> from <a href="http://vimeo.com/user5905911">John Karakashian</a> on <a href="http://vimeo.com">Vimeo</a>.</p>
<P><B>Alaska 2012</B>
<BR> Want to fish some of the best rivers in Alaska (Katmai/Bristol Bay Area) without spending an arm and a leg??? Then join us for this summer’s BBT Alaska trip ($500 per person holds your spot)…Week one: August 4 – 10, 2012 and week two: August 11 – 17, 2012. We have room for twenty guests each week. The package price per person is $1,995.00 (not sure but might change???) and includes:
<BR>• Six full days guided fishing
<BR>• All your lodging and meals
<BR>• Transportation to and from the Airport in King Salmon, AK
<P><B><DIV ALIGN="CENTER">An incredible Alaskan fishing experience with an affordable price </DIV></B><DIV ALIGN="CENTER"><IMG SRC="http://bbt.steelcity.net/08-16-2011-21.jpg"></DIV><P>
<P> <B>Please contact the shop to sign up for either (or both) of these exceptional trips!</B>
<P> Also, please check out our new Baldwin Bait and Tackle Facebook page.
<P><!-- Facebook Badge START --><a href="http://www.facebook.com/pages/Baldwin-MI/Baldwin-Bait-Tackle/120571617988672" target="_TOP" style="font-family: "lucida grande",tahoma,verdana,arial,sans-serif; font-size: 11px; font-variant: normal; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; color: #3B5998; text-decoration: none;" title="Baldwin Bait & Tackle">Baldwin Bait & Tackle</a><br/><a href="http://www.facebook.com/pages/Baldwin-MI/Baldwin-Bait-Tackle/120571617988672" target="_TOP" title="Baldwin Bait & Tackle"><img src="http://badge.facebook.com/badge/120571617988672.957.425751542.png" width="120" height="122" style="border: 0px;" /></a><br/><a href="http://www.facebook.com/business/dashboard/" target="_TOP" style="font-family: "lucida grande",tahoma,verdana,arial,sans-serif; font-size: 11px; font-variant: normal; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; color: #3B5998; text-decoration: none;" title="Make your own badge!">Promote Your Page Too</a><!-- Facebook Badge END -->
<P>Later & Fish-On!
<P>John
<P><B><DIV ALIGN="CENTER">Fall is in the air!</DIV></B><DIV ALIGN="CENTER"><IMG SRC="http://bbt.steelcity.net/09-06-2011-02.jpg"></DIV><P>
<P>We are in full swing up here right now. The hardware bite in the lower river has been decent (great one day and tough the next few or vice versa), but fly fishing the middle and upper river has been consistently producing action. Finding the right group of kings and waiting for a bite helps. I have been sticking and moving to cover several good holes and looking for biters along the way. Throwing streamers at day break has produced some exciting results too…something to think about!
<P>The kings are moving daily…”here today and gone tomorrow” has had us working hard chasing the run this year. It has been extremely exciting trying to keep your finger on the pulse this season…I keep thinking it is the third week of September, but it is not.
<P>Salmon season is upon us and we will be experiencing some great fishing throughout September. We are ready for a great fall (Kings, Cohoes, browns and fall steelhead!). The next three months will be exciting and will create some awesome memories. Stay tuned for the latest info and updated reports.
<P>Many different techniques work at this time of year…nymphing with stones, caddis, hexes and ESL’s; large bright streamers & baitfish patterns; hardware fishing with spinners and stick baits. Plus, the trout fishing has been good with nymphs, small streamers and soon eggs! They will start to key in on eggs and nymphs once the kings start to spawn.
<P><B>Here are some comments on some recent trips:</B>
<P>08/30-31: Dick joined me for some awesome action. We witnessed every way a king could avoid a net over the two days. There was no lack of action, but we kept scratching our heads saying that was wild…but exciting none the less. It is always a pleasure fishing with you Dick and take care of yourself…I hope I am fishing for kings when I am 81 years old!
<P>09/01: Tom, Jim and a banana were in the boat…enough said. Somehow we managed to land a fish, but we struggled through a curse of the banana! Ha, ha!!!
<P><B><DIV ALIGN="CENTER">Tom with his first Thunder-stick king!</DIV></B><DIV ALIGN="CENTER"><IMG SRC="http://bbt.steelcity.net/09-01-2011-01.jpg"></DIV><P>
<P>09/02: Chris and Carrie were introduced to the Pere Marquette River Salmon for the first time…it was a good old fashion salmon rodeo all day. They were once described by Chris as “Fresh water tarpon”…and enjoyable day with some great people. Thank you and hope to see you soon!
<P><B><DIV ALIGN="CENTER">Carrie with a solid king! (that one got rid of the goosers!)</DIV></B><DIV ALIGN="CENTER"><IMG SRC="http://bbt.steelcity.net/09-02-2011-01.jpg"></DIV><P>
<P><B><DIV ALIGN="CENTER">Chris & I with his first ever king salmon!</DIV></B><DIV ALIGN="CENTER"><IMG SRC="http://bbt.steelcity.net/09-02-2011-02.jpg"></DIV><P>
<P>I had the pleasure of guiding father and son group of John and Evan Phillips…great time with some great people! This is what makes me enjoy my job so much. I feel honored for being allowed to fish the “Field & Stream Sportsman”…that rod is a stick on a mission! Thank you for the great day & I hope your arm feels better Evan.
<P><B><DIV ALIGN="CENTER">John and Evan with a nice PM King</DIV></B><DIV ALIGN="CENTER"><IMG SRC="http://bbt.steelcity.net/09-03-2011-01.jpg"></DIV><P>
<P><B><DIV ALIGN="CENTER">Evan and I with a large king he brought to hand</DIV></B><DIV ALIGN="CENTER"><IMG SRC="http://bbt.steelcity.net/09-03-2011-02.jpg"></DIV><P>
<P>09/04: Another great day with father and son group of Steve and Kevin. Kevin set the pace and Steve finished strong…and very balanced day of action and laughs. Thanks for fishing hard and making my job so enjoyable. (On a side note….Steve, we got it done!). Later and thanks.
<P><B><DIV ALIGN="CENTER">Kevin with his first ever king on a fly!</DIV></B><DIV ALIGN="CENTER"><IMG SRC="http://bbt.steelcity.net/09-04-2011-01.jpg"></DIV><P>
<P><B><DIV ALIGN="CENTER">Steve with the “Mission Impossible”</DIV></B><DIV ALIGN="CENTER"><IMG SRC="http://bbt.steelcity.net/09-04-2011-02.jpg"></DIV><P>
<P>09/06: Johnny and Randy joined me for a beautiful day on the PM. Crisp morning and a perfect afternoon would describe the weather, yet Kings splashing & chaos would describe the fishing! Perfect day you guys and thank for letting me fish. I know I had a ball!
<P><B><DIV ALIGN="CENTER">Randy with the first and nicest fish to hand today!</DIV></B><DIV ALIGN="CENTER"><IMG SRC="http://bbt.steelcity.net/09-06-2011-01.jpg"></DIV><P>
<P><B><DIV ALIGN="CENTER">Randy with a 20 pounder on the boga!</DIV></B><DIV ALIGN="CENTER"><IMG SRC="http://bbt.steelcity.net/09-06-2011-03.jpg"></DIV><P>
<P><B><DIV ALIGN="CENTER">Johnny finished strong with this hen!</DIV></B><DIV ALIGN="CENTER"><IMG SRC="http://bbt.steelcity.net/09-06-2011-04.jpg"></DIV><P>
<P>On a personal note, I would like to express my deepest gratitude and thanks for all the kind cards, letters and notes everyone has sent me since my mother’s passing. Your support and sympathies have helped me through this tough time. This busy season will help too and looking forward to better times. Thank you everyone…every little bit has helped!
<P>Please respect your fellow anglers and their space on the river. There is plenty of room for everyone and we can all get a good fishing hole. Enjoy your time on the water and do not worry about catching…enjoy fishing our beautiful “Wild & Scenic River”! We will keep you posted as things develop, but if you would like to lock in a date please do not wait…they will not last long (especially now that the fish are here!).
<P><B>Announcements/News/Destination Travel Info-</B>
<P>The fall river cleanup is scheduled for November 5th this year and we hope to see many of you there as well as at Steve’s place afterwards for the appreciation party. More details to follow, but please call the shop to let them know you are coming, a semi accurate head count is helpful in planning.
<P>We have also set our annual Steelhead School for: November 11, 12 & 13, 2011, Click here for more details:
<B><A HREF="http://www.fishbaldwin.com/FlySchools/Events_steelhead.cfm">BBT Steelhead School</A></B>
<P><B>Argentina 2012</B>
<P> The dates are January 14 – 21, 2012…we are taking deposits now to hold your spot! Treat yourself to a trip of a lifetime! The package price per person based on double occupancy is US $3,250.00 and includes:
<BR>• Six full days guided fishing (with expert, local bilingual (Spanish-English) fly-fishing guide)
<BR>• All your lodging, meals and beverages (including beer & wine with meals).
<BR>• Transportation to and from the Airport in Bariloche
<P><iframe src="http://player.vimeo.com/video/19460635" width="640" height="360" frameborder="0"></iframe><p><a href="http://vimeo.com/19460635">BBT in Argentina 2011</a> from <a href="http://vimeo.com/user5905911">John Karakashian</a> on <a href="http://vimeo.com">Vimeo</a>.</p>
<P><B>Alaska 2012</B>
<BR> Want to fish some of the best rivers in Alaska (Katmai/Bristol Bay Area) without spending an arm and a leg??? Then join us for this summer’s BBT Alaska trip ($500 per person holds your spot)…Week one: August 4 – 10, 2012 and week two: August 11 – 17, 2012. We have room for twenty guests each week. The package price per person is $1,995.00 (not sure but might change???) and includes:
<BR>• Six full days guided fishing
<BR>• All your lodging and meals
<BR>• Transportation to and from the Airport in King Salmon, AK
<P><B><DIV ALIGN="CENTER">An incredible Alaskan fishing experience with an affordable price </DIV></B><DIV ALIGN="CENTER"><IMG SRC="http://bbt.steelcity.net/08-16-2011-21.jpg"></DIV><P>
<P> <B>Please contact the shop to sign up for either (or both) of these exceptional trips!</B>
<P> Also, please check out our new Baldwin Bait and Tackle Facebook page.
<P><!-- Facebook Badge START --><a href="http://www.facebook.com/pages/Baldwin-MI/Baldwin-Bait-Tackle/120571617988672" target="_TOP" style="font-family: "lucida grande",tahoma,verdana,arial,sans-serif; font-size: 11px; font-variant: normal; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; color: #3B5998; text-decoration: none;" title="Baldwin Bait & Tackle">Baldwin Bait & Tackle</a><br/><a href="http://www.facebook.com/pages/Baldwin-MI/Baldwin-Bait-Tackle/120571617988672" target="_TOP" title="Baldwin Bait & Tackle"><img src="http://badge.facebook.com/badge/120571617988672.957.425751542.png" width="120" height="122" style="border: 0px;" /></a><br/><a href="http://www.facebook.com/business/dashboard/" target="_TOP" style="font-family: "lucida grande",tahoma,verdana,arial,sans-serif; font-size: 11px; font-variant: normal; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; color: #3B5998; text-decoration: none;" title="Make your own badge!">Promote Your Page Too</a><!-- Facebook Badge END -->
<P>Later & Fish-On!
<P>John